Milwaukee Bucks point guard Luke Ridnour (13) dishes off as he drives against Boston Celtics point guard Avery Bradley (0) in the second half of an NBA basketball game in Boston, Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013. The Celtics won 108-100.
(AP Photo/Elise Amendola)

BOSTON – Despite Rajon Rondo's return to the starting lineup, the Boston Celtics backcourt will not be at full strength Wednesday night while hosting the San Antonio Spurs.

Avery Bradley “re-sprained” his right ankle and will miss the bout, Boston's last before the All-Star break. He could potentially miss time after the All-Star break, but the injury isn’t expected to linger for too long.

“Avery re-sprained it. We did another look at it. He’s out tonight, and then possibly will be out after (the All-Star break),” Stevens said Wednesday night before hosting San Antonio at the TD Garden. “Hopefully it’s going to be something that’s not long-term. It doesn’t look like it will be. It looks like it’s just the same as the first one, but not a long-term thing.”

After hosting the Spurs, the Celtics have five days off before resuming practice on Tuesday. They visit the Suns next Wednesday for their first game after the All-Star break.

Bradley has missed seven of the past 10 games due to the injury. He missed five games, came back for two, aggravated the ankle against Philadelphia and sat another game before tested the ankle again against Dallas. He suffered through a 2-for-13 shooting night against the Mavericks and was forced out of the lineup Monday in Milwaukee.

“He clearly didn’t look like himself (against Dallas),” Stevens said. “That’s when he got reevaluated Monday. He didn’t play against Milwaukee, and then he met with the doctors yesterday and everybody else, took a new scan and all that.”

With Bradley out, Stevens will go to a bigger starting lineup that features Gerald Wallace and Jeff Green at the 2 and 3. Citing the defensive flexibility of that duo, and Wallace’s recent production at the start of games, the coach said he has not given any consideration to starting Chris Johnson. Still, Stevens is not blind to the fact that Boston has played better basketball with Johnson on the court.

“I don’t think plus/minus is the end-all, be-all, but I feel really good when he’s in the game,” Stevens said. “We talked about it after the Dallas game – he always does his job. There’s no in-between. You know he’s going to do his job, he’s very reliable in doing his job, and as a result it makes everybody else around him better.

“Defensively, I thought the other night, when he turned it up on (Gary) Neal in the third quarter, that’s when we started to take control of the game. It was hard for Neal to get open and Chris did a great job on that end of the court. Then on the other end of the court, his ability to stretch the floor, not only with his shooting but also with his motor to get there, is really, really important. He’s going to continue to play a lot for us.”

Spurs inspire Stevens

The Spurs will be without a bevy of key pieces, including Tony Parker (rest), Kawhie Leonard (hand), Manu Ginobili (hamstring) and Tiago Splitter (calf). Despite losing seven of their last 13 games, San Antonio has often shown the ability to thrive without several stars.

“I think some of the most inspiring basketball I’ve ever watched is when they don’t have all their players,” Stevens said. “Some of the most inspiring basketball I’ve ever watched is when they do have their players.

“They’re one of the very few elite teams in the league. They move the ball, they move bodies, they know their system inside and out. They can plug people into those spots, and on any given night that person can have 20 or 25 points. The other night in Charlotte, they’re struggling early on and Patty Mills comes off the bench and goes for 32. They’re running actions for him at the end that other teams are running for All-Stars.

“That’s the way they are. They have a tremendous, tremendous system and I have nothing but the most respect for them. They are basketball in the purest form, on both ends of the court.”

Bass OK

Brandon Bass (corneal abrasion) had to miss the fourth quarter against Milwaukee after getting poked in the left eye during the third. But he went through walkthrough and will remain in Boston's starting lineup.

When the injury happened, Stevens felt Bass' pain.

"I had to leave a game on senior day because I had a corneal edema on both eyes. I couldn't see at halftime," Stevens said. "So anybody that has anything like that, I have a lot of respect for them. Because that is not a fun feeling."